DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – A beach parking discussion in Volusia County came to a screeching halt this week.
The Volusia County Council listed two agenda items to address the possibility of extending driving through a section of Daytona Beach where it currently isn’t allowed: the stretch from International Speedway Boulevard to Auditorium Boulevard and where the pier, boardwalk and Hilton Oceanfront sit.
There was no motion on the first agenda item, so it failed, and the second item failed by a 4-2 vote.
County Chair Jeff Brower, whose came up with the idea, said he plans to revisit the topic later.
INITIAL STORY:
Expanding where you can drive on the beach in Volusia County will hit the table for discussion next week.
The county council will discuss extending driving through a section of Daytona Beach, where it currently isn’t allowed: the stretch from International Speedway Boulevard to Auditorium Boulevard and where the pier, boardwalk and Hilton Oceanfront sit.
“I think this will add a little benefit to get more locals out here because our main business here at the brewery is tourism,” said Thomas Caffrey, owner of the World’s Most Famous Brewery on Main Street.
Caffrey is one of the shop owners who’s been pushing to get driving back on that stretch of the beach, saying it would help generate business.
“I think having that open would also give us more year-round traffic,” he said. “The area has become much worse off as far as buildings go and things that were here. We’ve lost a lot of local businesses. We’ve lost a lot of people, and I think opening the beach back up to driving will benefit that.”
[VOTE | STORY CONTINUES BELOW]
In 1996, the county passed a rule that stated beach parking was no longer allowed if a certain number of parking spaces had been reached on land. In this particular stretch, driving and parking on the beach ended about 24 years ago when the Ocean Center was built with about 1,500 parking spots.
Some beachgoers would rather keep it the way it is.
“I like having the freedom of the space all around me, and I also feel like it’s a disservice to the natural environment,” beachgoer Nanette Nuvolone said.
Others said they wish the county would get rid of cars on the beach altogether.
“Let us have the beach to walk, run, ride bikes, let the kids play. That’s what I think. No cars on the beach. Period,” visitor Lieutenant Lewis said.
The council’s discussion next week will just get the ball rolling. Even if they vote to change the beach driving rules, it would still have to get final approval from the state.
Check out the beach driving zones in the maps below: